


Harry by Proxy

by The_Smiling_Crow



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Creepypasta, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Found Family, Insanity, Lots of Murder, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Proxies (Slender Man Mythos), Tags Are Fun, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27304378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Smiling_Crow/pseuds/The_Smiling_Crow
Summary: Harry Potter's uncle goes too far and a broken, bleeding Harry is left in his cupboard. However, he is rescued and taken in by our favorite, faceless entity in a suit; Slenderman. How will Hogwarts deal with a corrupted Harry Potter? Harry Potter x Creepypastas. Dark-ish!Harry. Teen for general Creepypasta goodness and language. Manipulative Dumbledore and Weasley Bashing.
Comments: 30
Kudos: 148





	1. The Slenderman Cometh

**Author's Note:**

> Original AN: This story is high Teen for blood and gore. No graphic sexual themes, but there may be graphic violence from time to time. There may be warnings every now and then for Mature themes in certain chapters.
> 
> Thank you, I hope you enjoy the story.
> 
> Sincerely,  
> The Smiling Crow
> 
> )0(
> 
> 2020 AN: When I first wrote this all those years ago, I never expected it to become what it has today. I really enjoy this story and I hope you all do, too.  
> -Crow

Harry Potter continued running, ignoring the tears streaming down his face and the burning in his calves. He had to get away.

No one was awake at that time, not many would be at 2 AM, so the streets were open, desolate, and lonely. The dead leaves rattled as a small wind pushed them around on the ground. He didn't like autumn. It meant that his cupboard got very cold, very quickly.

He looked behind him and didn't see the hulking figure of Uncle Vernon chasing him or, knowing the man's cardiac fitness, the family car zooming towards him, so he cautiously slowed down and caught his breath. His cousin Dudley's Harry Hunting kept the 7-year-old in shape, but he'd been running for the better part of 20 minutes.

Tears kept falling as he remembered how it all came to this.

* * *

He hadn't meant to.

Honestly.

One moment the mean substitute teacher's hair was its usual, dull grayish-white, the next it was bright blue. Though, the fact that it happened when he was giving Harry an angry lecture on his missing homework (which Dudley stole) meant all fingers pointed to Harry. Thankfully, the school principal could not find any evidence that would point to Harry directly, despite the insistence of Mr. Mulligan.

The principal had to repeatedly question the man's logic when he insisted a seven-year-old child had the chemical background necessary to turn hair blue; let alone make it happen instantly and without touching the hair in question. In the end, he chalked it up as an anomaly, perhaps with the shampoo he used, and dismissed the substitute. Afterwards, he made a note to run a background check on Mr. Mulligan's mental health.

Of course, by the school system, the principal had to tell Aunt Petunia of the incident. In front of the principal, she managed to stay calm, but Harry could tell after 6 years of experience that the subtle stiffening and pursing of lips meant he'd get something for it later. The second they were out of public range, his prediction came true.

As soon as they were home, behind the safety of her closed door, Petunia was livid. She smacked and slapped him while repeatedly calling him "freak". He cooked dinner while she glared at him as though it would cause him to erupt in flames. Afterwards, she held his hand over the still-burning heating element "for good measure". When she was done, he cradled his burned hand in pain and distinctly heard her mumble about "freaks", "beating _it_ out of him", and "he's just like _them_ ". He wasn't sure what "it" was or who "they" were, but it was emphasized heavily in her mutterings.

Petunia told Vernon within a minute of him walking in. Harry knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, the way he said "I'm home" signaled that he had a short temper from the day at work. On that alone, it would mandate a few good beatings to vent his frustrations. Compounded with this news… if he reacted anything like Aunt Petunia…

He had acted worse.

Vernon beat him badly that afternoon after yelling and raging incoherently for almost a full hour. Harry numbly accepted the pain with each resounding thump against the walls and the floor. He knew that his Uncle would just punish "crying" on top of it all, but it was trying when he heard the small *crack* in his arm after being thrown against the floor.

He was eventually shoved into his cupboard, still bleeding, without his meager dinner. Harry did a small self-check-up. From what he could tell, he'd probably broken his arm, his nose was drizzling blood, his eye felt swollen and tender, and the rest of him was covered in various degrees of bruises.

The entire time, he heard them through the crack in his cupboard, emphasizing "them" and "it" in hushed tones. When Dudley came home from whatever friend's house he was at that afternoon, anything else was drowned out by either video games from the living room or his incessant whining for food.

He sat silently in his cupboard the entire time. He knew if he disrupted them, he'd get beaten even worse and at the moment, he didn't want to risk any more injury. He shoved his fist into his gut to prevent it from growling at the smell and sounds of the dinner he cooked.

He had started to staunch the flow of blood when they finished watching telly for the evening and he heard their heavy footsteps on the stairs above him. The house was pitch black as all of the downstairs lights were shut off from the switch at the top of the stairwell. He heard them shuffling around upstairs until he could make out the faint snores of Uncle Vernon and Dudley and occasional sleep-murmur from Petunia.

He settled down, but couldn't find a comfortable enough position to sleep in. His left forearm seared with pain every time it jostled the wrong way and the bruises elsewhere prevented him from lying down without wincing at the pressure pain.

In the end, he just sat upright and leaned against the cupboard door. He held his left arm with his right to keep the bone from being jostled. _What will happen now?_ He wondered. He felt his arm was definitely broken; the arm was slightly swollen and a large, nasty bruise was on in the middle of it where the pain was greatest. Even moving his arm caused the pain to flare up. Uncle Vernon had never broken any bones before. Would he go to the hospital? Would anyone care? What would happen?

He sat there for a long while and silently waited. He knew he couldn't cry out at night and wake the Dursleys. That just led to even worse beatings.

He eventually heard the small chime of the tacky mantle clock in the sitting room strike twelve. He couldn't help himself. He was scared and in pain. A few tears managed to squeeze their way out of his eyes.

_No, you're not a baby!_ He mentally scolded himself. He sniffled quietly and wiped his eyes.

Still, he sat in his small space and looked out the vent his Aunt and Uncle had forgotten to close. The moon was bright that night and came out from the clouds. The soft, white light illuminated the kitchen and the light from off the polished floors lit up the rest of the house.

Harry was amazed how much he could make out. The television set, the table, the coat rack…

He blinked.

They didn't have a coat rack.

Certainly not one that tall.

His eyes adjusted to the light and he could make out what looked like a man in a black suit. From his vantage point, he could make out that the figure was very tall and had a black business suit like the ones he'd seen Uncle Vernon wear on his way to work, though this figure had a very, very thin suit as opposed to Vernon's. The grate and angle prevented him from seeing the face, though.

The figure didn't move the entire time, but Harry got the feeling it was searching for something. He shivered as his pain-numbed mind realized; someone else was in the house!

Harry paid attention in the safety course at his primary school, he knew about burglars and robbers. He knew they dressed in weird, dark colors and broke into houses at night. This man was obviously here to steal things from the Dursleys!

Out of fear of making a sound, he sat rooted to the spot. It must have been five minutes and the figure hadn't moved an inch.

Harry frowned. He watched a cartoon-y safety video with the rest of his class. It showed a man in dark clothes with a brown bag and a flashlight walking around the house and taking things. The only thing was, the burglar depicted comically walked around on his tip-toes or in an exaggerated "stealthy walk". This figure just stood there. Harry wondered if this was what real burglars did… He idly wondered where the "stealing" part came in.

Suddenly, the dust in his cupboard tickled his nose. Before he could stop it, he had let out an explosive sneeze in the silence of the house.

Horrified, he clamped his hand to his mouth and shuddered as he slowly turned back to the grate opening. The figure was still in the same spot as before, but it had shifted its position…

Towards his cupboard!

Harry scrambled backwards against the far wall of his space, giving a muffled cry as his broken arm reminded him of its presence. He decided that any more noise he made would be useless anyways since the burglar obviously knew where he was.

All he heard was his own breathing as he watched the light through the vertical slats of the vent. The figure didn't make any sound at all, but it moved in front of the grate, blocking out the light. Something that sounded like the soft slithering of a snake moved around out there and he heard the soft *click* of his cupboard latch.

Confused, Harry sat pressed against the wall as the figure moved away and light came pouring back in. He didn't dare to move for a long time until he heard the clock chime 1.

He slowly made his way back to the vent and peered out.

The moon was still up and he couldn't see anything around. Cautiously, he leaned against the door and almost lost his balance as it swung open. He opened it fully and stepped out into the moonlit house.

The figure wasn't around, nor were any footprints or any indication he was ever there.

Harry went back to his cot in the cupboard to mull things over.

_How do I explain this?_ He thought. _What would Uncle Vernon say if I tell him someone broke in and did nothing but unlatch my cupboard? He'd probably just accuse me of unlocking it myself and see a new padlock and deadbolt put on as well. Then, he'd probably accuse me of stealing despite the fact that nothing's missing._

He sighed and shifted his weight. Again, he felt a sharp flare of pain from his arm. Looking down, he saw the skin had gone blotchy around the pain and a few cuts started giving off a yellowish goo. He wasn't squeamish, though. The Dursleys had given him cuts and burns before that caused that yellow stuff sometimes.

Though, he couldn't stop to clean it before.

He only had short baths spaced very far apart. His 5 minute bathroom breaks weren't nearly enough to do his "business" and clean the wounds adequately. The rest of the time, he was either in his cupboard or out working in the garden.

Looking down at the yellow pus and bruises, he decided mysterious man or no, he could get out of his cupboard for once and deal with the pain. He slowly opened the door, cringing every time the hinges creaked in the silent house, but the continuous muffled snoring allowed him to relax.

He crept up the staircase, careful to avoid any creaky floorboards and stair steps that had been weakened by the strain of having to deal with his cousin's and uncle's weights. He managed to get to the washroom on the upper level.

He left the lights off. Thankfully, the moonlight through the window was more than enough to work by. He opened the faucet to a silent trickle and took an old towel from under the sink and wetted it. He gingerly dabbed at his wounds, slightly relieved as the blood and pus wiped away. He searched in the cabinet and found a small first aid kit.

Inside was a small first aid booklet. He flipped to the page on broken bones and found some bandages and a spare lead pipe from the cabinet under the sink. He put a layer of bandage over his arm and lined up the pipe along his forearm to the palm of his hand so it kept his wrist flat. Then, following the book's instructions, he secured the pipe with a few more layers of the bandages. He cut the bandages off with some large shears that came with the kit.

It was uncomfortable, but it helped him not move his arm as much.

He also found some antibiotic ointment as well. He was immensely relieved when he put it on the cuts and the stove burn from earlier. It cooled the mildly burning pain and his cuts felt "cleaner" than they had in years.

He closed the top lid to the toilet and sat on it. He kept gently dabbing on the cooling ointment and even putting a few band-aids on some of the worse cuts and scrapes.

After a few minutes, he sat there, collecting his thoughts and allowing the ointment to help relieve the pain. It was very relaxing; the dim moonlight was not as harsh as the bathroom light's glare and he was relieved at the silence throughout the house.

Save for a mild ringing in his ears.

Confused, he gently fiddled with his ears to see if the ringing would go away. Interestingly, he found that after moving his head around, the ringing seemed to have a source. Swiveling his head around, he determined it was outside.

Slowly, he went to the single window in the room and peered through the curtains.

In the dim light from outside, he could make out a few trees, the outlines of the other houses, the lamppost-

He gasped when he saw it.

Under the streetlight's dim cone of yellow light, was a figure in a business suit. Harry was frustrated that the tall figure's face was obscured by the darkness just outside the cone of light, but he knew that it was the same character that managed to get in the house.

Again, Harry got the distinct impression the figure was looking right at him; as though he knew that the young boy was looking out the window despite being in the darkened bathroom and hidden behind a layer of curtains.

The black-haired youth, almost defiantly, stared back at the figure. Almost daring him to make a move. He could swear he heard the distorted sound of chuckling inside his own head; like a laugh from another channel on the TV that didn't quite tune right through the static.

*Thump!*

He whirled around to the sound, his ears straining to find the source. The house was completely silent and he waited for a few seconds before cautiously turning back around to the window.

The figure was gone.

So was the slight ringing and static. Harry frowned in confusion, grateful for the silence to think in. It was a lot easier to concentrate and think than his thought being broken by Vernon's snores-

Wait… _silence_.

He was blinded as the lights to the bathroom suddenly flared to life. His eyes couldn't make out much in the harsh light, but he saw the large figure of his Uncle in the doorway.

" _YOU!_ "

Harry saw the large blur start hulking its way towards him.

" _WHAT THE DEVIL ARE YOU DOING OUT OF YOUR CUPBOARD, BOY!?"_

In a split second decision, Harry picked up the silver shears he used to cut the bandages. His Uncle picked him off the ground by the neck and Harry flailed wildly. The shears managed to cut his Uncle on the arm and the larger man cried out in pain, releasing the smaller child.

Harry scrambled backwards as his Uncle hissed in pain with his other hand clamped over the wound to help staunch the mild flow of blood. He looked down and saw an opening on his Uncle's left side. He dove for it, but was snatched up again by the irate uncle. This time, Harry's bandaged left arm, fortified with a lead pipe, managed to collide his Uncle's leg. He thought he heard a small *crack!* and his uncle howled in pain before collapsing and clutching his shin.

Harry took the opportunity and scrambled out of the bathroom. He raced down the stairs and threw open the door to the night air. Just before he was off Number 4's lawn, he heard his uncle's bellow echo across the neighborhood.

"POTTER!"

* * *

And so, Harry found himself long past Privet Drive. He made it to the wooded park a number of streets down from Number 4. He slowed down and found a vacant park bench. The large park was empty, so he lay down, careful of his left arm and huddled for warmth on the bench. The autumn wind didn't help, but at least he'd kept his day clothes on instead of the pitiful excuse for pajamas the Dursleys gave him. The jeans were warm enough to keep him from getting hypothermia.

The 7-year-old thought about where he'd be going from here. What would he do? Where would he go? How would he eat? Sleep? Live?

He sniffled and allowed a few tears to drip down.

All he wanted was to go back to his cupboard at this point. He didn't want the attention or the cold or the fear, even if he was hurt by them, sometimes they'd let him be in the blissful state of "ignoring him as if he didn't exist". Those days, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and even Dudley wouldn't cast a second glance at him. He'd be so grateful on those days as it signaled he'd go to bed without a couple of bruises and cuts and maybe even a small meal.

He silently cursed himself for ever turning the teacher's hair blue. It was his fault. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but he was sure it had something to do with him. With " _it_ " as his Aunt had said.

What's more, he cursed the figure. He had no clue what the suited man wanted, why it let him out , or why he got Harry in this situation, but if he had never interfered, maybe he'd be able to just live in his relative obscurity.

He shifted to get comfortable on the park bench. He was glad he'd thought to put a protective layer between the lead pipe and his skin; he could feel the cold metal leeching his body heat even through the bandage, but he imagined it'd be worse if the bandage wasn't there at all.

He'd just started giving in to the numbness of sleep, when he… _felt_ a presence.

He slowly sat up. It was like this one time Dudley was feeling less physical and more annoying during a car ride. He spent the entire time with his fat finger a centimeter from the side of Harry's head chanting "I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you." He knew the finger was there, he just didn't see it and it nagged at the back of his head and he could "feel" something there insisting he look.

He slowly turned around and allowed his eyes to adjust to the park.

…

There.

About ten feet away was the same figure in a suit standing next to a short lamp post. He could confirm the figure must have been almost nine feet tall, it was almost as tall as the post itself. Again, the figure's face was shrouded in the shadows cast by the light and Harry couldn't make out any features other than the fact that its neck showed he had pale skin, if not white altogether and matched the same color as his white dress shirt. If it wasn't for the collar, Harry would have almost guessed the figure wasn't wearing a shirt at all.

He could "feel" the eyes on him, so he feigned bravery and angrily stared right back at the area he supposed his eyes would be.

_Hahahaha_.

He jolted. It was another chuckle, similar to what he heard in the bathroom, but much clearer than before.

He shivered as the figure stood still as if waiting for him to do something. His initial fear of the man gradually receded to wary curiosity. He didn't feel like the figure meant to do him any harm. If anything, the figure was almost benign.

He slowly walked towards the figure until he was within the cone of yellow light from the dim street light.

"Who are you?" He asked quietly.

The figure didn't respond, instead simply standing there facing Harry. Harry was undeterred.

"What do you want?"

The figure crouched down. Its long legs bent awkwardly and its arm came down to stabilize itself. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he finally saw the figure's face-

Or, rather, lack thereof.

The figure's face was blank and as white as an empty canvas. There were slight indentations, emphasized by the shadows, that were similar an old statue where the face was weathered away, but you could make out the faded curves that may have been a nose and eye sockets.

There was no mouth nor any indication of any ever being there. The "nose" indentation had no orifices for breathing. His completely hairless head showed he had no ears either.

There were no eyes in the "eye" indentations, but Harry got the feeling it could still "see" him.

For a few seconds, they both silently regarded each other before the tall man slowly extended a long arm towards Harry. The pale, white hand faced palm upwards as if offering something. The message came clear to his head. It felt as though the figure "talked" in a deep bass with a vague American accent, and the voice came from his direction, but it was not sound-based at all. It was confusing to "hear" someone without his ears.

" _I want to offer a choice, child. If you wish, I want to help you leave this place._ "

Harry looked down at the hand being offered. He didn't know who this figure was… or even _what_ this figure was, but whatever it was, it offered an alternative. It offered him a choice.

He glanced back at the direction of Privet Drive. Memories flooded him of Vernon's temper, Petunia's neurosis, Dudley's spoilt behavior, Aunt Marge's cruelty, the uncaring teachers, the mean children. His jaw clenched and his back straightened.

He reached out his cut, bruised, and burnt, but not broken, arm to the figure and grasped the hand.

The figure straightened, but its arm was long enough that Harry could hold on comfortably despite its incredible height.

The lights all around the park flickered off suddenly, leaving the entire lot moonlit. The tall figure and the young boy walked soundlessly in the darkness. The intricate shadows cast by the branches criss-crossed and soon grew denser and denser.

And with a faint rustle of wind through the autumn trees, the pair disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

Leaving the park as though they were never there.


	2. A Pasta Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is taken to the lair of Slenderman and meets many new faces.  
> Also, dinner is served.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original AN:
> 
> Warning: Lots of hints towards fictional child abuse.
> 
> The Pastas may seem a bit OOC at the moment (if there ever was a true cannon personality to most of them), but their murderous tendencies will come out.
> 
> Just so no one freaks out, this is not in the cannon Harry Potter universe. Half of the pastas wouldn't exist (namely BEN and Smile) back in the 80s, so this is probably closer to the present, or at least 2000-2010-ish. I know a few ages are off, but the cannon 17 year old Ticci Tobi didn't seem right for most of his depictions. Same with a 13 year old Jeff the Killer. So I took some artistic liberties and adjusted their ages a bit.
> 
> I hope you enjoy
> 
> -Crow
> 
> And remember: "Creativity, not reality".
> 
> 2020 AN: I'm sorry this was so delayed. Things got hectic in life and this just kept getting pushed to the back of my mind. Next thing I know, we're at the next major holiday already! Please enjoy the update.  
> -Crow

Harry followed the tall figure into the denser forest. Eventually the moonlight was blocked out by the criss-crossing branches overhead. Once they were completely in the dark, Harry felt something like a gust of cool wind, but it felt as though the world were shifting around in the darkness as well. It wasn't uncomfortable; actually, it was a bit exciting. He suspected this was what those roller coaster things were like that Dudley rode on at amusement parks.

When the feeling stopped, Harry looked around and saw that they were, again, in a forest. Though, he took a breath and noticed the air smelled different. Looking up, he saw the moon was shifted from the position they'd left.

"… um… excuse me… sir?" He asked tentatively.

The figure looked down (even though he didn't have eyes) giving the young child his attention.

"W-where are we?"

The figure nodded. Again, the voice returned. It sounded like it was coming from the tall man, but it was purely from Harry's own mind. " _I am glad you sensed the change. As for the formalities, my name is the Slenderman. One word. Though you will find some of my… associates call me 'Slendy'. To answer your question, we are in the rural forest of the Northeast Coast of America._

"Oh, well, my name is Harry. Harry Potter. Two words. We're all the way in America?" Harry thought back. He remembered a history lesson about a place called America. It was supposed to be short for their real title; The United States of America. They hadn't learned much yet besides they separated from Britain a long time ago and helped out in wars.

" _Yes. New York State, to be exact."_ Slenderman replied.

Harry remembered seeing a globe once in the classroom. "Isn't that like a million miles away?"

The Slenderman- gave an echo-y mind-chuckle. " _3,300 miles to be exact._ "

"Wow!" The child whispered. He'd never been anywhere outside of Little Whinging. "How'd we get all the way here?"

The faceless entity gave the impression of smiling. " _Just something I do._ "

The pair continued walking in silence through the dark forest. Harry listened as the dead branches, mulch, and gravel crunched under their feet. After some time, he looked around and saw a drawing tacked onto the tree with a figure that looked distinctly like the entity next to him.

"Mr. Slenderman, what's that?" He pointed.

" _That, Harry, is the artwork of an individual who lives nearby. She draws all of us, though she has the tendency to draw me and put them up in the surrounding forest. I believe it is her idea of a game. That or she thinks I won't see it unless she puts them out in the forest._ " Slenderman responded. " _She lives with me and many others like myself in a mansion up ahead. That is where I am taking you. I have an associate who deals with medicine. He can help you._ "

Harry nodded. He'd never been to the doctor before. Once, he was sent to the nurse after Dudley beat him up again (his cousin got away with it unseen, of course), but the Dursleys were livid about it when she mentioned the bruises. They immediately blamed it on his "delinquent behavior".

They continued walking for a few minutes before Harry made out a faint, yellow glow in the distance. As they approached, Harry's eyes adjusted and right in the center of the forest was a large mansion. Harry couldn't make out many details, but from the windows, it must have been at least three stories high.

He and Slenderman walked up to the front wrap-around porch and the older entity opened the slightly-taller-than-normal door and ushered him inside.

Harry looked around in awe at the foyer. He'd honestly expected something a bit more dilapidated, but everything here would probably make the Dursleys green with envy. The wallpaper was an old-fashioned blue and black floral design. The wood floors and panels were all the same dark oak. A few portraits were hung on the walls, but it wasn't too decorated aside from a mirror and end table against the wall, a chandelier, and a grandfather clock ticking away in the corner.

Slenderman led him through an archway to another room. This one had a red and maroon floral design, lots of chairs and couches, a few end tables, and a currently-vacant fireplace.

" _Please wait here, Harry. I need to go find Jack, my associate, so he can give you proper medical treatment._ "

Harry nodded and watched as the figure walked out of the room. Harry noticed that the ceilings were slightly higher than normal as the tall entity didn't have to crouch down to get under the archway.

Being slightly less energetic than most seven year olds, Harry was content to sit on the winged armchair and look around the room he was in. More portraits were lined up against the walls. Looking closer, he saw some were fairly normal: fruit, landscapes, and a few animals. However, he caught a few glimpses of some paintings the Dursleys wouldn't let anywhere inside their house.

One depicted a man, or at least what was left of him. The skeletal remains were probably in the same regal position as the original man, but the eyes, nose, and skin was rotted away and a few straggly white hairs clung to the skull. Another had landscapes of black trees and fog. One had a crow perched on a vacant armchair eyeing the observer. Harry got the distinct impression it was smirking at some silent joke.

Harry wasn't unsettled by them. He actually thought they looked very cool. The Dursleys strove to be "normal" by their definition and, as such, their pictures were replicas of paintings of fruit, fake idealized landscapes, and, of course, picture upon picture of Dudley at various ages. It all became rather boring.

He was drawn to one portrait that he dared to leave his chair quickly to look at.

He recognized Slenderman on the right, but he saw three others with him. One was a figure that looked almost exactly like him, save for some glasses perched on a non-existent nose to correct vision for non-existent eyes and he wore a somewhat fashionable tan sweater. Another looked remarkably similar to Slenderman save for a large, toothy grin splitting his face. Harry was slightly unsettled, it seemed vaguely predatory. The grinning figure wore a grey fedora and trench coat, but a bright, red rose was in its hand, giving some color.

He was immediately drawn to the central figure of the painting. This one looked like Slenderman in that it wore a black suit, but the only difference… actually one of the _many_ differences was that his black suit was littered with brightly colored polka dots ranging through every color of the rainbow. The figure had a top hat perched on its head, but what set it apart was the face. Unlike the other three, he was not paper white, but was more "fleshy" colored and had a smile, an honest smile, with slightly rosy cheeks, a distinct nose, and small, black eyes forming a slight upside-down U from the smile below.

Harry was still looking at the figures when he heard a voice speak up from behind him.

"Oh, that's Slendy's family."

Harry was startled and quickly turned around to see a girl about his age. She had long, brown hair and the same emerald, green eyes that had an ethereal glow behind them. She wore a pink nightgown and was completely barefoot with a brown teddy bear tucked under her arm as though she was just about to go to sleep or just woke up. Her major difference, though, was the streams of crimson blood criss-crossing on her face which Harry noticed led up to a scarlet patch of hair and lightly dented part of her skull.

"S-sorry, I- I just wanted to look around." He quickly walked back to his chair and sat down upset that he'd probably gotten into trouble for not staying put.

"Oh, that's alright. I walk around all the time and Slendy doesn't mind." She smiled. "My name's Sally and this is Sammy." She gestured to the brown teddy bear. "What's yours?"

"Harry."

She blinked and snickered. Harry was confused. "Sorry?"

"Oh, sorry, I just remember a movie Jeff talked about with someone with your name and my name meeting, but Slendy says I'm not old enough to watch it."

"Oh, how old are you?"

"Eight… sort of. How old are you?"

"Seven. W-what do you mean 'sort of'?"

Sally grinned. "I'm a ghost. I died when I was eight, but that was a while ago, so I guess I'm older."

Harry stared wide-eyed at her, uncomprehending, and before his rational brain could object, he slowly reached out his arm.

*poke*

She just snickered and returned the poke, proving her solidity. In response, Harry could only blink in confusion. "Wait, I thought ghosts were transparent and… not-solid and… well… ghostly." He finished lamely.

She nodded. "I've never actually seen any ghosts like that. I remember Halloween stories always said they were faded white and floaty, but any ghosts Slendy ever showed us were solid or colorful like me." She grinned. "It's a lot more fun this way. I can't imagine not being able to eat cake, can you?"

Harry shuffled, mumbling under his breath that he'd never had it before.

He noticed her gaze wander and lock on his make-shift splint. "You're hurt" She whispered. Her bubbly personality evaporated.

Harry shuffled his arm a behind his back, but her eyes didn't stop following it. "It's alright. It's nothing."

"Did the adults do that to you?" She asked. Harry was a startled at how serious and almost hateful she sounded. "When they played their games?"

"S-sorry?"

"They hurt me when they played their games. Then, my Uncle took me to the park for another game. That one hurt real bad." Her hand wandered up to the slight dent in her skull. "But, I had him play my game afterwards…"

"I-I'm fine! R-really! Mr. Slenderman took me here to talk to someone to help me feel better."

She broke her gaze on the pipe splint to look back. Her eyes softened again. "Slendy's really nice. He helped me when I was all alone. You'll feel better." She smiled.

Harry relaxed and looked back at the painting. "S-so, Mr. Slenderman has a family?"

She nodded. She pointed to each one as she spoke. "There's Slendy, of course. The one with the glasses is Trendy. The one with the teeth is Offendy. And the colorful one is Splendy."

"Trendy, Offendy, and Splendy. Are they short for something?"

"Trenderman, Offenderman, and Splendorman."

Harry snickered. It seemed the "-erman" was a family thing.

"I think Splendorman looks pretty fun." He said.

She smiled. "Yep! He's always really happy and has fun games to play... not like the other games..."

Harry sensed the tone from earlier and quickly redirected the conversation. "Yeah, he's always really happy. I can't imagine him mad."

Sally's grin faded a bit. "He's rarely ever mad, but he's scarier than Slendy when he is." She admitted.

Harry felt himself pale. He looked back at the bright, colorful, smiling figure in the family portrait and tried, but failed, to imagine any form of negativity.

Sally broke his thoughts. "So, did you just get to the house?" He nodded. "I can show you around if you want." She offered.

Harry frowned briefly at what the choice offered. On one hand, he told Slendy he'd stay put and he didn't want to make him angry just after he met him. On the other hand, he was really curious about the house and didn't want Sally to think he wasn't a good friend... if they could even be called friends at this point... he'd never had any before to really compare to.

"W-well, I told Slendy I-I wouldn't wander off." He said, trying to explain.

"Oh. Well, I know where he is if he's talking to Jack. We can go there, too. Plus, you're not wandering off far. If he shouts inside the mansion, everyone can hear it." She said.

"Well…" He trailed off. Again, the dichotomy tugged on his conscience. In the end, he decided to just give a quick nod and was pulled away by the excited girl.

"Okay, so I'll show you around! This is the front room, but Slendy calls it a 'foy-yay'." She said. Harry had been to the foyer, but it was still just as nice as before. She continued pulling him through halls.

"Here's the TV room." The room was surprisingly modern, with standard couches in front of a medium-sized entertainment center.

"Here's the dining room." Lots of high, stiff-backed chairs were lined around a long table, but they didn't look terribly uncomfortable, just a bit formal.

"Here's the music room." A piano stood in the corner, surrounded by various string, brass, and percussion instruments. Harry thought he'd look into a few. He always wanted to learn to play.

"And here's the kitchen, the sitting room, the moon room-"

"Moon room?" It looked more like a greenhouse got fused to the room with a few chairs and plants in it. Although, it did let in a lot of the moonlight.

"Well, in most houses it's called a sun room, but a lot of guests are pretty nocturnal, so we call it the moon room." She explained.

"Here's the conservatory, the trophy room, and library. Jeff doesn't like it here because he has to study, but I like to bring my coloring books sometimes.

"And to finish off," she said in front of a small room by the kitchen with coat hooks and boots next to a back door. "The mud room! It's supposed to be for mud, but Slendy still doesn't like me dragging mud through it."

As she finished speaking, the door opened and two figures walked in. Harry stumbled backwards in fear as a large, red and black dog-thing walked in. He still had minor trauma from Marge's dog, Ripper. This thing was enough to bring it all back.

He noticed it was attached to a leash and he followed it up to the second figure who came through. He couldn't help himself but stare. The figure had on a plain, white hoodie, or at least it used to be white. It was covered in splashes of red, which Harry could tell had a distinct metallic smell. Shaking like a leaf, he looked further up. The dog's owner had scraggly, black hair and was as pale as Slenderman, but he definitely had a face… a very memorable face.

The skin around his eye was blackened and shriveled near the edges while the eyes themselves had beady, gray irises. But Harry couldn't stop looking at his smile. It was literally carved into his cheeks like he'd taken a razor right to them.

"Harry?"

The figure glared at Harry, his shriveled, practically non-existent eyelids narrowing slightly. Harry noticed the bloodshot eyes hesitated as they flickered over his makeshift splint.

"Harry!"

"W-what?" He was jolted back to Sally, nudging him. Seeing him tremble, she tried to smile comfortingly.

"This is Jeffery Woods, but we just call him Jeff." The figure gave an annoyed grunt still giving an unblinking glare. "The dog is named Smile. Smile, could you…?"

The dog… nodded? And suddenly a ripple went from its nose down its body and the red and black fur was replaced with white and black until a perfectly normal Husky dog stood there. The only difference was it was smiling at Harry with human teeth.

"Smile's a special dog." Sally explained. Harry could only nod, he was still struggling to not stare at Jeff.

"Harry, come on! I want to show you the upstairs!" She grabbed his good arm and led him back to the foyer and up the staircase.

When they were out of range, she stopped and let him gather himself. "W-what was-"

"Like I said, that was Jeff and Smile. Smile's a kind of demon-dog, but he can look like a normal Husky. I guess you don't like dogs?"

"My Aunt Marge's dog was pretty mean. What was with Jeff's… um…"

"Face? Yeah, I thought you'd want to talk about it. That's why I got us away. He's pretty sensitive about how he looks."

"But what happened?"

"He did it to himself. His eyelids are burnt, so he can't really blink. He needs special eyedrops 'cause he can't get his eyes wet anymore. He got in a bad chemical accident, so his skin got all white. As for his smile, he cut it up himself."

"How does he eat and talk?"

"Dunno. He manages somehow, though." She led him through the hallways of the mansion to a specific door with a few pictures taped on. "This is my room."

She let him in and he saw the room was very… pink. He'd never been in a girl's room, but since he'd never had any friends before he'd never been in anyone else's room. Childish drawings of various figures were taped up on the walls. There were a few dressers and a small desk by the window. In the center, was a small pink and white canopy bed. The only thing slightly off from the scene was the fact that the bed had bloodstains around the pillow and the drawings tended to depict slightly disturbing and unnerving figures.

Harry saw one that was a caricature of a person with two large circles for eyes, long black hair, and a long, red smile. He figured that was Jeff. Looking around, he saw one with a character in a long black robe with a white mask with a long beak-like nose. Another had a person whose head was just a blue circle with two black dots for eyes. Seeing the pictures, he suddenly remembered the walk here. "Hey, you're the one who drew the pictures in the woods!"

"Oh, Slendy saw? Yay!"

Harry nodded. "Why do you put them there, anyway?"

She put her finger to her lip in the universal code of secrecy. "Don't tell him. It'll spoil the game." She whispered.

Harry smiled and nodded. She led him out and down a few more doors. She glanced around and slowly peeked inside before opening it wider. "This is Jeff's room. He doesn't really like a lot of people inside."

Harry glanced around the room.

It was a mess!

The walls were covered in scary posters of various heavy metal bands. The desk in the corner looked hardly used for actual work and more as a makeshift display for a wide variety of knives, blades, drills, saws, and other weaponry. The floor was littered with clothes, though white hoodies and black shirts and jeans tended to be dominant. A small doggy-bed was next to Jeff's bed which Harry assumed was for Smile. He grimaced at a pair of red boxers lying around next to a few empty pizza boxes. _Wait, how do they get pizza delivery?_

His eyes fell on the one spot that didn't have a mess around it. A nightstand in the corner was completely clear of any debris save for a small picture in a frame. He couldn't focus on it clearly, but he managed to make out four figures.

He didn't voice the question, but was dragged off by Sally to the other rooms. "Okay, here's Slendy's room. Be quiet and don't go in. We're not supposed to."

Like Jeff's room, he peered in from the threshold. It was a medium sized master room with just an extra-long bed in the center, a nightstand, a dresser, and a closet full of what Harry could guess was a lot of black suits and white shirts.

Satisfied he'd seen it all, Sally led him to a room with some first-person-shooter game posters tacked up. "This is BEN's room, but we sometimes just call him Ben."

"What's the difference?"

"The spelling. BEN is in all capitals. Ben is like the normal name."

"Oh."

Inside was a pretty cool room. It had a few consoles for various systems lying around. A desk in the corner had some piece of technology with its wires and circuits systematically removed and laid out on the bench. The walls had posters for Call of Duty, Legend of Zelda, and a few in what looked like Japanese. The room was dark save for a few black lights and a computer monitor with a figure in front tapping away at the keyboard, facing away from them.

"Hey, BEN." Sally said cheerfully.

"Go away, Sally." He droned, not taking his eyes from the screen. Harry managed to maneuver his vision around BEN's head. The computer displayed what looked like line upon line of green text. It kept scrolling around, making it hard to see any pattern to it.

"Oh, come on. Don't you want to meet Harry?" She begged.

"We'll probably discuss it at dinner. I've got someone on this website I'm gonna game over." He replied absently taking a sip from a Sonic soda cup with a straw. _Seriously, how do people like_ this _get delivery out_ here _?!_

Sally pouted, but couldn't argue anymore as BEN dove headfirst into the computer monitor like it was a liquid and crackled away along the internet connection.

Sally led a dumbstruck Harry off to the next hallway.

They came up to a particular door that was very out of place. Instead of the formal, dark oak panel doors the rest of the house had, this one had almost no straight lines and was a mix of black and white in stripes and zig zags that looked like it had been cut right out of a Tim Burton film. Harry had the opportunity to watch a few minutes of _Beetlejuice_ before the Dursleys realized he wasn't in his cupboard. All he managed to see was two characters walking around in a hallway of optical illusion-like doors and tiles, but this one looked straight from that scene.

"This is Jack's room. Well, one of the two. This one is a clown named Laughing Jack. There's another Jack called Eyeless Jack and he's like a doctor. His room is actually in the basement where he works." She explained, opening the door.

The room itself was largely black-and-white color scheme from the bed to the wallpaper. Inside was a mess. Prank kits, whoopee cushions, balloon animals, and even a few rubber chickens were strewn about with candy wrappers and a few odd toys. A desk in the corner had a number of beakers and flasks emitting a foul-smelling green vapor from a few chemicals that Harry guessed were some form of homemade stink bombs. An accordion was set on a chair in the corner with a few bits of sheet music strewn about.

Harry also noticed a few… less childish aspects to things. Among the toys was a sprung Jack-in-the-Box with a pair of shears on the end of the spring, a bear trap with the mechanism for wind-up "chattering teeth", and some of the "balloon animals" weren't colorful latex, but rather more fleshy pink… bloody… and intestine-y. What's more, a number of knives, darts, and chopsticks were stuck in a poster of a very detailed human anatomy.

"Jack likes pranks. I recommend being far away on April 1st." Sally said, ignoring the "toys" as though they were common. Harry got the feeling that, for her, it was.

Glancing around one last time, Harry's gaze managed to pick up a single shelf with a small box with faded paint. The bright colors didn't give away much, but he managed to make out in what used to be bright yellow paint; "Laughing Jack in the Box".

He soon felt Sally leading him to another room.

"This is Toby's room." She said. Harry noticed a slight tinge of sadness in how she said it.

The room was very standard. No posters or anything on the off-white walls. A few clothes that missed the hamper were on the floor. A desk by the window had some kind of math homework on it. The bed had a gray comforter and some normal white sheets.

Harry would have guessed it would be any American teenager's room, if not for the bloody bandages strewn all over the floor. A corner of the room had an entire desk dedicated to medical equipment and the blood-soaked bandages were congregated most around that area.

The confused seven-year-old turned to the girl who answered the unasked question. "Toby's… sick… He sometimes hurts himself, so he has those bandages on his arms. He usually changes them up here on his own. Sometimes it gets _really_ bad and we need Eyeless Jack..." She trailed off and led him away from the room.

She showed him a few more rooms that were very standard and the rest either had occupants she didn't want to bother or were locked.

At the end of the upstairs tour, she led him back downstairs and into the kitchen. She opened a small door in the back and led him down to the basement level. Harry was surprised to see it was very clean and finished. It looked more like a hospital than a basement. He shivered when he noticed how cold it was, though.

Sally saw him shudder and smiled. "Sorry, I forgot you get cold. Jack prefers to keep the place cool. He says it keeps his 'specimens' better."

She ran upstairs before Harry could say anything and returned with a gray overcoat. "This is the Rake's whenever he goes out. He's been sticking around upstairs so he won't need it soon."

Harry wrapped himself in the coat and let the end drag off of him. He was amazed at the length of it. This Rake guy must be at least 7 feet tall… though Harry still questioned the coolness of naming yourself after a garden tool.

Sally stopped in front of a few heavy-duty doors with glass windows. Grabbing a nearby stool, she peeked in one of them and offered the spot for Harry. "This is the time-out room. We don't need it often, but when we do… we do."

Harry peered inside and saw a small room with poofy white padding on the walls that was made blaringly white thanks to the fluorescent light bulb fixture in the ceiling. He noticed that there was a cool white sweater on the floor, but the arms were too long and it had some uncomfortable-looking metal clasps on it.

Sally led him away to another room. "This is the gym." She informed him. This room had lots of workout equipment along with torture devices and a few dummies with various metallic objects protruding from very painful-looking places.

"We use it to keep fit and to practice." Harry briefly wondered what kind of practice she meant, but was quickly ushered down the hall.

Harry heard voices from one of the rooms and peeked inside. He saw Mr. Slenderman talking to someone who's back was to Harry. Slenderman's head moved slightly and seemed to give an eyeless glare of disapproval.

" _Harry?_ " Harry shrunk in on himself in shame.

"Hey whatcha waiting for- oh." Sally said. "H-hello Slendy."

Slenderman's head moved and focused on her. " _I should've known. So, I see you've met our guest, Sally_."

"Mm-hmmm. I've been showing him around." She replied quietly, not making "eye contact" with the faceless guardian.

Slenderman's shoulders raised and lowered in what Harry thought was a breathless sigh. " _Please don't go showing around random strangers, Sally. What have I taught you?_ "

"Be careful around strangers and don't talk to them. But Harry told me his name, so that means he's not a stranger." She reasoned.

The faceless entity gave another soundless sigh in exasperation. " _We will discuss that rationale later, Sally. In any case, your timing is impeccable. I was just about to fetch you. Harry, this is Jack, Eyeless Jack._ "

The figure Slenderman was talking to earlier turned around. He wore a knee-length white lab coat with a clipboard tucked under his arm and a stethoscope poking out of his pocket. Though, the similarities to any doctor stopped there. Jack had blue-ish-black skin and short, brown hair. But his distinguishing feature was what he was named for. His eyes were just black sockets that were oozing some sort of black, fluid tar-like substance. Despite not having proper eyes, Harry could tell that the sockets were focusing in on him, much like Slenderman.

"Ah, so you're Harry?" The voice sounded a lot like your average 19-year-old, but with an almost professional air to it. Harry nodded and the figure smiled. "Please hop on the table, I'll be with you in a minute. Sally, could you go play in your room, please? I think Harry would like some privacy." Sally nodded and ran back upstairs after giving a comforting smile to Harry.

He grabbed a few medical devices and a mask which he promptly put over his face. Harry saw it was very plain wave for two black holes in it that mimicked his eye sockets and were also, soon after being put on, dripping with the black substance.

"Sorry, but a lot of people I treat here tend to prefer it when I cover my face. It makes them more comfortable." He explained.

"O-oh, I don't mind." Harry said. Jack smiled underneath the mask. He took the Rake's overcoat and put it on a chair nearby before he put a Velcro strap around Harry's arm with his stethoscope on the underside of his elbow. He started pumping a small hand pump and read the guage for Harry's blood pressure.

"H-how can you read that without eyes?" Harry inquired. Jack looked up from writing on the clip board.

"Oh, well, the same way a nine foot tall entity can travel miles in a second, or a kid with his cheeks cut out can still chew his food normally, or a computer virus sits around all day eating junk food in his room. We don't really know, we just chalk it up to some kind of magic." He explained.

Harry visibly flinched at the end of his sentence. Jack noticed it. "Harry, is something wrong?"

"… magic's a bad word…" He whispered half-heartedly.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hurt me when I said it once. They kept telling me magic wasn't real and kept beating me until I said it too."

Jack frowned behind the mask. He turned to Slenderman. "We may want to have someone look at him psychologically, too. No telling what those… _monsters_ did to him."

Jack had heard what Slenderman had said. From what he could see, nothing was an exaggeration. The boy was clearly malnourished, abused, and traumatized. Add on that he spent his life locked away in a cupboard. Jack thought it was ironic that people would call _him_ the monster… even if he did enjoy the occasional pancreas or liver.

" _I will see if anyone can. If not, I will arrange for a specialist in the city._ "

Jack continued his examination and took a quick sample of Harry's blood. He noted that the child didn't harbor the typical fear of needles, pain, or blood. Something else to add to his notes.

With Harry's permission, he took several photos of the various scars on his back, arms, and hands. After, Jack put some cream and band-aids on Harry's cuts and bruises. He removed the make-shift splint carefully and looked the arm over and ran a few X-Ray scans of his arm as well as several other bones. He jotted down some more notes before putting a much more comfortable plastic splint in place of the heavy lead pipe and a few mild pain-killers.

At the end, Jack turned to Slenderman. "Well, he's malnourished, that's for sure. I'd recommend some lighter meals to start off with. Lots of light proteins, vitamins, and carbs, though. Maybe some thin soups and light breads. Nothing heavy, oily, or excessively sweet.

"The cuts will heal in time, though some of those bruises look pretty nasty. They'll clear up. Just tell the others, Jeff especially, that they can't rough house with him. Well, it's not like they would with the arm.

"As for the arm, itself, it's a transverse fracture. I'm better with organs, tissue, surgeries, and general medical treatment. Bones are a bit out of my area of expertise besides splint them up and let them heal. Maybe ask BEN to contact Funnymouth online. He's better with bones."

" _I'll see. Funnymouth does have a tendency to be a bit slow, though._ "

"Nah, just tell BEN it's urgent. He knows how to get him here in a jiffy."

He turned back to Harry. "Well, that's it, kid. Oh, I almost forgot."

He went over to a cabinet and pulled down a few jars of squishy, floating… things before taking down a small, gray urn. He opened the top and offered it to Harry. "Here's a lollipop for being a good sport."

Looking in, Harry's eyes widened at the sight of dried up human fingers with some kind of light glaze on them. Seeing his hesitation, Jack peeked in. "Oops. Sorry, no those aren't the suckers. Those are… well… my personal… snack, so..."

The eyeless doctor cleared his throat, quickly put the top back on the urn, and placed it back on the shelf before picking up another one. As a precaution, he looked inside. "Yep, here's the suckers."

He held out the urn with colorful lollipops in it. Harry, a bit uncoordinated from the many events this past hour or so combined with the painkillers beginning to take effect, decided to "roll with it" as he'd heard someone say once. He picked out a red, cherry one and pocketed it, not wanting to waste his first real sweet just then.

His stomach gave a loud gurgle and he looked sheepish.

" _Ah, I forgot. Those relatives of yours must not have fed you, did they?_ " Slenderman asked.

Harry shook his head, clenching his gut to keep his stomach from making more noise.

Jack gave an inhuman growl which Harry was nervous was directed at him for some reason. "Those basta- sorry- beasts! What do they get out of starving a seven year old? Is it just for some kind of sick pleasure?"

Slenderman sighed. " _I'm afraid that may be the case. I think we have some condensed soup in the pantry. I'll ask Timothy to make some diluted for Harry for dinner tonight._ "

"Dinner?" Harry asked, confused.

" _Ah, I apologize. It was 2 AM back in Surrey, but don't forget we're in New York now. It's actually close to 9 PM. We eat dinners rather late, but otherwise we have breakfasts, lunches, and snacks like most. We also have some... unusual, nocturnal guests and tenants who eat lunches and dinners in the middle of the night and early morning hours._ "

Harry nodded, somewhat understanding the time zones from a quick lesson in class. He followed Slenderman back up the stairs. He led Harry to the dining room and had him sit in a chair close to the head chair.

The tall, faceless entity went into the kitchen and talked with someone, probably about the soup he promised, and returned to sit down in the head chair next to Harry's.

" _Now, Harry, dinner is about to start. We have a lot of… unusual guests. They may seem scary, and believe me there's a reason for that, but just know that since I am here, you will not be in danger._ "

Harry nodded and waited apprehensively for the guests to start filing in. The clock in the foyer chimed nine thirty and people slowly made their way in.

Harry saw E.J. without his mask walk in first and gave a quick wave which the medic returned. Jeff came in next and eyed him unblinkingly before settling in a chair on the other side of the table. Sally came in eagerly sitting next to him. He was grateful she came before as she was helpful in naming people who came in.

A black and white clown with a vicioius grin was apparently the other Jack, "Laughing Jack", who had the weird door. His entire being looked like something where the colors were bleached out. He wore black suspenders and a tiny black-and-white shirt with some odd black tufts of feathers sticking out of his shoulders. Harry noticed he had an odd conical nose that didn't seem to be a prosthetic and roll upon roll of bandaging tape around his arms and torso.

BEN turned out to look like a kid not much older than Sally with long, pointy ears like an elf and he wore a green tunic. Harry barely recognized him as the main hero from the _Legend of Zelda_ series. His cousin played a few of the games before the puzzles and challenges got too difficult for him to solve, at which point he would promptly toss the game and get another. The main difference between the two was that BEN's eyes had red irises and black scleras dripping with blood. He vaguely wondered how Eyeless Jack and BEN managed to go around without dripping all over the place. He agreed with Jack and chalked it up to... magic.

Two normal-looking guys came in and sat on the other side of Slenderman. Sally explained they were Tim and Brian, or were usually called Masky and Hoodie, respectively. She explained that they usually wore their masks around the house, but not at meals.

Smile trotted in and lay down under Jeff's chair where the scarred teenager scratched behind his ear.

The Rake turned out to be not at all human. He looked a lot more like an emaciated dog-human hybrid with some really long, sharp talons. Harry's first instincts told him to run, but Slenderman's presence helped keep him in his seat. Harry made a note to get Sally to put the trench coat back where it was as soon as possible. He didn't want to explain it to that thing.

The last one in was another teenager around 15 or so that had on a mouth guard and some bandages wound along his forearms with a faint tinge of red seeping through. Harry noted that as he sat down, he twitched erratically and his fingers fiddled with his fork or whatever was nearby. Sally explained that he was Toby.

They all looked at him (the Rake somewhat hungrily), but otherwise just waited around the table. Slenderman stood up and they focused on him. " _Attention, everyone. I want to introduce Harry Potter._ " His long arm gestured towards the child next to him. " _I've relocated him from a… household in the United Kingdom. As you can see, he's injured and will be staying with us for some time, possibly becoming a resident if he so chooses._ "

Harry looked up at that. He'd never had a choice before.

" _However, I expect you to be nice to him and_ no roughhousing _._ " He sent a pointed glare at Jeff.

The teenager spoke. "I don't see why he's here, Slendy. What makes him different from everyone else you relocate?"

" _For one, he's badly injured. For another, he was severely abused and may need some extended treatment. Also… I think he may fit in, if he so chooses to stay_."

Several members around the table glanced curiously at Harry. The 7 year old shrank under the scrutiny, but it seemed as though they were either judging him or doubting what Slenderman said.

" _Now, I know not everyone is present, but I think it may help if we allow introductions_. _How about name, age… and something we enjoy_." Slenderman remembered this game from when he used to stalk elementary school classrooms for abused and troubled children. He thought it might help in this situation.

He gestured to each of them to begin.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter. I'm 7 and I… haven't had much time to find things I like."

A few heads tilted slightly in confusion and curiosity.

"I'm Sally Williams. I'm 8 and I like drawing."

"I'm BEN, but you can call me Ben. I'm around 10, I think, and I like games, computers, and trolling forums."

The teen in the facemask excitedly introduced himself to the new face. "Hi! I'm Toby Rogers. I'm 15 and I like setting things on fire and movies and video games and pie and waffles and-!"

" _Thank you Tobias. That will do._ "

"I'm Brian Thomas. I'm 21 and I like recording films." He introduced himself very quietly.

"I'm Tim Sutton. I'm 20 and I like drug and medical chemistry… and smoking." Harry could tell. The man had the distinct smell of tobacco around him, but his eyes had dark shadows under them and he seemed slightly restless.

"I'm Laughing Jack. I'm ageless, but sort-of started to exist officially in the early 1900's and I _looooveee_ pranks! Heheheheheee."

"I'm Jeff. Jeff Woods. I'm 15 and I like sleeping, watching TV,… and crashing slumber parties." He added, his carved grin widening.

"I'm Eyeless Jack. I'm around 18 to 19 and I enjoy medical research, dissections, and cooking."

"I'm The Rake. I'm around 726 and I particularly enjoy the squelching sound when my talons-" He was cut off by a glare from Slenderman. "Er, I mean, I enjoy… _music_. Yeah, music to my ears." He grinned slyly. Slenderman rolled nonexistent eyes, but let it slide.

" _I suppose that leaves me. I am Slenderman. I am also ageless and I particularly enjoy taking hikes around the forest_."

" _Now that introductions are out of the way, how about we enjoy dinner?"_ Harry almost blinked and missed the food suddenly appearing on the table with a 'swoosh' like when he was travelling with Slenderman. The food that night was largely stew, bread, mashed potatoes, and a few vegetables. Harry looked in front of him and found a medium sized soup bowl of soup broth.

Eyeless Jack grabbed his attention. "Harry, you can try some of the things on the table, just don't go overboard, okay?"

Harry nodded, wide-eyed at everything. He hesitantly picked up the tongs, expecting to be told off or told 'no' at any minute. He quickly picked up three green beans, a teaspoon-full of mashed potatoes, and the smallest roll of bread he could find.

Laughing Jack raised an eyebrow. "Hey, kid, when he said don't go overboard, he didn't mean starve yourself."

Harry's eyes widened even further. "You mean, I can have more?"

Laughing Jack, true to his name, laughed before replying. "What is it with you British kids and food? You and Oliver Twist seem to ask the same questions about "havin' some more, please". Hehehehe." Harry blinked and the clown was suddenly wearing a soot-covered flat cap and suspenders and adopted a high-pitched voice with a cockney accent with the quote.

When he blinked again, the cap and outfit was gone. Harry shook off the confusion and picked up a slightly larger portion of mashed potatoes and a few more beans. He was savoring each bite of the meal and the bowl of soup. This didn't go unnoticed by the others at the table.

Throughout the meal, Harry watched everyone else. While Tim, Brian, and Sally ate normally, the others were different. Laughing Jack would have eaten normally if it weren't for the fact that he was eating something very, very red with some candies and candy floss on the side.

Toby took down his mouth guard and Harry stared at the large gash in his cheek exposing his teeth before he realized it was impolite. He snatched a few other glances and saw he'd tend to hang his head to one side (the side with the cheek still intact) to chew and drink.

Jeff ate like a normal person. Despite appearances, he somehow managed to eat and drink without it dribbling out the carved smile. Though, Harry noticed when he opened his jaw to take a bite, the rest of his carving opened up as well so it actually went all the way through. He guessed that Jeff had enough cheek to hold food whereas Toby didn't.

Eyeless Jack was fairly normal, he even smiled when he saw Harry looking around. Though Harry was slightly green at the sight of various squishy, red organs on his plate. He watched with fascinated horror as Jack bit through a kidney like it was a piece of bread. Thinking back, he wondered if the "dissections" hobby he mentioned lead to ingredients for his "cooking" hobby.

Slenderman was harder. He was right next to the entity, but he kept trying to sneak glances whenever the faceless entity brought a forkful of food to his mouth. Harry managed to glimpse the fork with some potatoes on it going towards the face which promptly disappeared when it got close to where the mouth would have been on a normal human before Slenderman's jaw moved up and down without the sounds of chewing.

Harry promised himself he'd figure out how the entity did that.

When they finished. Slenderman raised his hand to call for silence. " _Now, I want to raise the matter of letting young Harry stay with us-_ "

Harry's brain went into paranoid overdrive. "Please, sir! I won't be a bother! I-I can cook and clean and garden and do a few minor repairs around the mansion! You won't need to give me a full room, sir! I can do almost any chore! I-I can-!"

" _Harry, Harry, calm down. No one's asking you to take up those responsibilities_."

Jeff grinned. "Well, if he's offering, then I think I can take one for the team and give him my chores list for the week."

Ben snickered. "Mine too."

Their smiles faltered when they saw Harry frantically nodding. "Done!"

" _Child, no one will make you do them_." He sent an eyeless "look" to the pale teenager and the computer virus. " _No one_."

He returned his attention to the fearful seven year old. " _Why do you feel you need to do such things, Harry?_ "

"So I can earn my keep, sir."

" _You don't need these "sir" formalities, child. But what do you mean, 'earn your keep'?_ "

"So I won't be a burden." Harry replied meekly.

" _Harry, you are not a burden. Who tells you that?_ " Slenderman immediately regretted the question as he answered it himself long before the child did.

"My Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon did. They said they shouldn't have to waste money on me. They said I was a worthless freak and that I had to earn my keep to stay."

Harry was suddenly aware of the absolute silence around the table. Looking about, a few had their forks halfway to their mouths, the rest he could see questions buzzing in their heads. No one around the table was smiling (save for Jeff, but for what it's worth, his permanent smile was slightly downturned). Everyone was processing what he just said..

Sally was the first to snap out of it and smiled at Harry and reached for his hand. He had to resist the instinct to flinch away. "No one thinks you're a freak, Harry. You can stay all you like."

Laughing Jack's smile also returned in full force. "Yeah, maybe you can help me set up some pranks on Jeff, here."

"Hey!"

The Rake grinned. "And if Slendy thinks you've got potential, we'll even let you go on a few… excursions with us. Hehehehe" Harry's arm erupted in goosebumps at the low chuckle. He decided to watch himself around The Rake.

" _Well, be that as it may, I think it is time for everyone to go to bed. It's late and young Harry is still on European time._ "

Harry almost forgot all about his fatigue in the excitement of that night, but it came back full force when Slenderman mentioned sleep and he yawned despite his efforts against it.

Brian offered to take the plates to the kitchen and wash up, so the others made their way to the foyer. They were just about to ascend the stairs when Sally noticed Harry wasn't with them. She heard a slight scuffle from the staircase and leaned over to see the door click closed.

"Harry?" Everyone stopped, suddenly aware that their newest guest wasn't with them.

Sally made her way to the door and opened it. She was confused when she didn't see him until she looked down. He was lying on the cold cement floor using a mop head for a pillow and a few threadbare blankets they tossed in there for storage. She shuddered as a large spider crawled quickly over the fabric draped over him.

The others edged around and looked confusedly at what they were seeing. Jeff spoke first. "Uh… what are you doing?"

Harry looked back at them. "I'm going to bed. This is where I slept at the Dursleys. Though this one is much warmer." He smiled genuinely before settling back and nonchalantly blowing a black widow spider away that crawled a bit too close to his head.

He failed to notice everyone was completely stunned at this and remained fixed where they were until Slenderman, who assessed the situation, maneuvered towards the cupboard.

" _Harry. You won't have to sleep in the cupboard anymore. Come, we already have a guest room prepared for you_."

Harry, stood up from his makeshift bed and followed Slenderman up the stairs, leaving the rest still standing in stunned silence. The faceless man led him to a room in one of the hallways. He let Harry look in.

By most of society's standards, it wasn't much. It had a simple, wooden bed with a standard box spring mattress and a stormy-blue comforter. A desk was up against the window. A single light fixture provided an overhead light. A dresser was pushed against the wall and a mirror hung next to it on the simple gray-white walls. Other than that, there was no decoration, no color, nor anything really terribly interesting for the average seven year old.

Harry was awestruck. "T-this is all for me?" he whispered.

Slenderman nodded and watched as Harry reverently walked into the room, drinking in the space and sights. He laid his upper torso on the bed and ran his hands across the comforter, feeling the softness.

He looked back at Slenderman and, to the surprise of the entity, ran straight to him and hugged him around the area of his legs that he could reach. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Slenderman regained himself and adjusted so he could give a slightly awkward hug in return. " _You're welcome, child. I'm afraid we don't have any pajamas for you at the moment, but we can find some shorts and an old T-shirt from BEN, perhaps. He's the smallest male in the manor and I doubt you'd want one of Sally's dresses."_

Harry giggled and nodded. Slenderman left and soon returned with some black sports shorts with an elastic pull-string and a green shirt with a golden Triforce on it.

Slenderman left Harry to change and get ready for bed. He closed the door and turned down the hallway. He was stopped by a group of angry, worried, and confused housemates. Jeff, per usual, was the first to speak. "Slendy, what's the whole truth about him?"

Slenderman sighed. Knowing this group, he'd probably need the straightjackets to ensure they did not swim to Surrey themselves to throttle the family in their sleep.

* * *

Harry jumped into the bed and put the warm comforter over him. He was amazed at how soft and comfortable it was. He could feel the adrenaline and excitement ebbing away to fatigue. He thought back to all of the firsts of today.

First time out of his cupboard at night.

First travel to another country.

First friend.

First time in another person's room.

First medical treatment.

First sweet given, even though he still had it in his other pants' pocket.

First dinner with lots of food that he could eat as well.

First joke he laughed with.

First time someone waved back.

First time in a bed.

First time being hugged.

First time someone _cared_.

He wiggled himself further into the sheets and blanket and smiled as he was sedated to the silence and paralysis of the nocturnal haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original AN: Yes, that was a reference to the Russian Sleep Experiment at the end there.
> 
> I own none of the pastas and, of course, Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.
> 
> One of the portraits in the family room is actually inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion, specifically the Portrait of Dorian Gray in the foyer to the hanging-man elevator.
> 
> If my UK grade-schooler knowledge of the USA is incorrect, British viewers, I'm sorry. I was raised in American elementary school so I don't really know what a primary school's history lesson encompasses about America besides probably the basics. (And sorry, no, I'm not in New York the state. It was just a good place with lots of creepy forested area in the rural areas out west).
> 
> I understand most of the pastas don't seem terribly murderous, but we'll add that in soon. I just wanted basic introductions out of the way. Plus, I had fun writing this chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> -Crow
> 
> P.S. Slendy mentioned how not all of the Pastas made it downstairs, meaning there are more that are either out on business or more that are just hanging around. Hint hint: I'm only one CreepyPasta fan, I don't know them all. Any suggestions on characters is always welcome (also, send in their pasta title if you can. It helps me understand them better).
> 
> P.P.S. No ships at the moment. Sorry, but Sally doesn't "age", so it won't be Harry x Sally. She's just a friend.
> 
> ================================================  
> The Creepypastas:
> 
> -Russian Sleep Experiment: "The Russian Sleep Experiment" by unknown
> 
> -BEN: "BEN DROWNED" by Jadusable
> 
> -Sally: "Play with Me" by Kiki-Hyuuga (deviantart-based)
> 
> -Jeff: "Jeff the Killer" by Snuffbomb
> 
> -E.J.: "Eyeless Jack" by Snuffbomb
> 
> -L.J.: "Laughing Jack" by Snuffbomb
> 
> -The Rake: "The Rake" by unknown
> 
> -Ticci Toby: "Ticci Toby" by Kastoway (deviantart-based)
> 
> -Masky and Hoodie: MarbleHornet videos: by Marblehornets (youtube-based)
> 
> -Smile .jpg: no official pasta: by unknown (email chain mail)
> 
> -Trenderman, Offenderman, Splendorman: The result of fans making up popular parodies of Slenderman on Deviantart and Tumblr


	3. Slenderman's Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slender reflects on how he found Harry, Harry's first day with the Creeps...
> 
> ... and how Harry became a local cryptid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original AN: I own nothing, least of all Harry Potter.  
> Trigger warnings: Harry Potter child abuse.  
> -Crow
> 
> 2021 AN: My first time really doing the outside-perspective storytelling.

Slenderman got out of bed early the next morning. He still had on his custom-made Extra-Long, black pajamas. As a personal touch, he even had little, white operator symbols on the pants.

It was the little things, sometimes.

He yawned… or… something… before stretching out a few knots in his tentacles and heading down to the lower level.

Last night had gone almost exactly how he'd predicted.

* * *

*Flashback*

Slenderman led the group down to the main living room where he'd asked Harry to stay shortly after arriving back at the house. Seeing everyone present at dinner sitting or handstanding upside down (Laughing Jack) in one of the chairs and waiting expectantly, he began his story.

" _I had my suspicions a few months prior. I was doing a few international visits for old times' sake out in the Black Forests of Germany. No one to report there, so I just wandered around Europe briefly while I was in the area._

" _I had decided to stop in Britain to restock on some tea for the pantry. On my search for a decent tea shop, I happened across an elementary school. Naturally, I looked everyone over as I was passing by, just scanning the surface emotions. There was petulant anger, bubbling happiness, spoilt discontent, irrational fear; the usual for most children._

" _That's when I sensed that soul-crushing sadness. Normally children feel mild levels of sadness over trifle things, and it reflects in their emotional outputs, but this one screamed volumes of abuse._

" _I quickly found the source to be young Harry. He was hiding behind one of the school dumpsters as his fellow peers played, completely unaware that he even existed. I questioned it, but continued to watch for a moment. After some time, my patience was rewarded… though I use that term scathingly._

" _A gang of five children around Harry's age were deliberately seeking him out. Apparently, he hides behind the dumpster often. They found him and chased him across the playground. There were no monitors, no teachers, not even a single friend to stand up for young Harry._

" _I watched as he was beaten black and blue by the children, whose ring leader I discovered to be none other than Harry's own cousin. What's worse, evidently they left him in that sorry state until well after the bell rang. Only then did Harry regain consciousness… yes, he was beaten unconscious. I did not realize until he had failed to move for five minutes._

" _Taking my usual measures, I observed him and his class. The teacher was a horrible, old crone. She obviously saw his bruises and distress and deliberately ignored them focusing on berating him for arriving late to class. Upon stalking the teacher, I discovered her views on the subject of bullying to be largely that it 'is none of her concern what those monsters do to each other'._

" _What's more, she deliberately asked them questions I know were well beyond the material, refused to teach them anything, and punished them with techniques ranging from time-outs to slaps to a dunce cap… yes, she had a dunce cap and a corner._

" _Unfortunately, it seemed Harry would regularly receive all three. I'm not sure if Little Winging is just the honey pot for vitriol-spitting furies, but it seems as though almost every mother, aunt, teacher, even some teenaged daughters were either indifferent to children other than their own, horrendous gossips, or took great delight in looking down upon Harry Potter, specifically, as the title-less ragamuffin._

" _Anyway, I followed the young boy for the next few months. I was not seen, but I had to abide by the Code. What I saw was enough to convince me._ "

He fell silent, reflecting on everything. The others' eyes bore into his blank face until he relented.

" _As you can probably surmise, he was kept in a cupboard and regularly denied meals. I saw a "good day" for him in terms of meals and his meal consisted of some bread with a single slice of slightly off ham._

" _His wardrobe was entirely cast-offs from his cousin all of which were excessively large and could barely keep him warm in the winter. I believe the shoes he has on are some a neighbor threw out on account of the flaps and support being destroyed by their own child._

" _The Uncle and Aunt were not physically abusive, or at least as far as I could see. In the span of those few months, they did slap him excessively. The Uncle was excessively rough in his handling, but could not hold up as a cause of "relocation-worthy physical abuse". In my opinion, we need to update the Code beyond the 18th century's standards of parenting._

" _His average day consisted of hours upon hours of work, chores, and tasks. If he did not finish, which was usual as the task list exceeded the available hours in a day, he would be slapped and refused food until the next day where the process was, more often than not, repeated._ "

Jeff and BEN both shifted uncomfortably after hearing that. They understood how the joke of having him do their chores in exchange to live there was honestly interpreted as an actual deal in the mind of Harry.

" _His cousin Dudley, on the other hand, is a spoilt, aggressive, gluttonous pig. His mother dotes on him constantly, believing he can do no wrong even after report cards say otherwise. His father encourages his aggression because he believes it 'builds character' for some God-foresaken school called "Smeltings" where that bloated walrus apparently went to and wants his son to as well._

" _The main source of his aggression is, naturally, Harry. I believe it may be some projection by the parents of the beatings they wish they could legally inflict. I'm not sure as to why they even encourage this treatment to begin with, but any theory is either terrifying if true or implausible if they still retain the classification of "human"._

" _This 'Dudley' boy apparently drives away any other children from Harry by bullying them if they so much as look at our new guest. He eats so many sweets and greasy foods that he's grown grotesquely fat. When compared to Harry, you can see the difference in treatment already._

" _While Harry cooks the meals they eat, he gets none. I actually watched him pick scraps from their garbage pail to feed himself. I've even seen him scamper around the neighborhood to pick out of his neighbors' bins as well while the Dursleys believe he is merely taking the trash to the curb._

" _I cannot tell how much it wrenched my… heart, to watch the boy's face light up in absolute, sheer joy at discovering a neighbor had thrown away a somewhat-bruised, but perfectly edible apple. He ate it right then and there, core and all."_

The other guests of the Mansion were wide-eyed at the faceless entity. Most had speculated that Slendy didn't even have the organ in question. Those who had been there longer knew that he almost never brought it up as the organ wasn't biologically a "heart" in the first place. For this to happen, it must have been something awful.

" _I continued to watch, by that time I knew that at the end of the waiting period I would have to relocate him. Unfortunately, plans were… moved ahead._

" _Earlier today… er, yesterday in London Time, I suppose, Harry got in trouble for something that was by no means his fault. Unfortunately, by obligation of the institution, the principal had no choice but to inform Mrs. Petunia Dursley, Harry's Aunt, of the incident._

" _She later burnt his hand on the open oven element after making him cook their dinner. When she was done, her despicable husband came home in a temper and beat Harry to the point you see him now, including breaking his arm._ "

He glanced up from his tale and saw the signs of tension and anger in everyone's eyes. Jeff already had out "Nellie" (one of his knives) and fingered it contemplatively. Toby was twitching erratically and rapidly. Sally's blood was flowing to the point where it actually overcame whatever force kept it in check and it dripped onto the floor. Ben was slightly glitching as his arms and the side of his face kept erratically breaking into code or random blocks of color, indicative of the virus's wrath.

He could sense their bloodlust and their morbid desire for more fuel for their hate. He sighed and continued.

" _I decided to make my move that night. I left the house to set up a stable, long-distance shadow-walk at the nearby park. When I had returned, I fully expected Harry to be in the hospital having his arm seen to. I had suspected- no, hoped that they would realize the necessity of discretion and take him to the ER for his arm, claiming he fell from a tree or some such nonsense._

" _I took my stance in their foyer, awaiting their arrival. I had no idea how long it would take human doctors to heal a bone, so I assumed their tardiness was the result of the procedure. In retrospect, it was so utterly careless of me not to do a full sweep of the house._

" _I was so focused on awaiting the car to return, I had no idea how much time had passed. I only thought to sense around when I heard a loud sneeze from the cupboard._

" _Yes, Jack. They left him in the cupboard. With a broken arm, none-the-less. Please stop growling._

" _I had to get him out of there, but I had to abide by the Code. I simply unlatched his door and awaited the moment when he would leave of his own volition. It took some time, but eventually he made his way out and managed some minor first aid on himself._

" _Unfortunately, that oaf of an uncle found him and almost stopped him. Thankfully, the lead pipe he used as a splint helped in his escape along with breaking his uncle's shin, I believe._ " Several of his associates grinned darkly at the only partially served justice.

" _After he left, I took it as his 'willing departure' and it allowed me to take him with me._

" _And that is the story."_

By now, every one of his associates was either unconsciously caressing a knife or scalpel or dragging their claws through his furniture as fists clenched on the arm rests. He allowed about 30 seconds for them to digest this information before speaking.

" _Now, I understand your anger. However, we cannot take action at the moment. We must first take care of young Harry to ensure he is alright. BEN, could you please contact Funnymouth for us? Eyeless Jack recommends him for bone-related trauma."_

The computer virus gave a stiff nod, still scowling at the mental images Slendy portrayed.

" _Now, I want no trouble for Harry while he is here. I doubt many memories of the United Kingdom are pleasant, so it may be best that we don't ask questions and help him adjust to life here in America."_

He got up before pausing with one more thought. " _And I will not allow you to go murder the Durlseys tonight._ "

Based upon the uproar it caused, he suspected he would need the straightjackets again.

*flashback over*

* * *

Slenderman sighed as he shuffled down the hall in his black slippers. Surprisingly, Jeff was the calmer one despite his… aggressive nature. Eyeless Jack went to his lab, probably to eviscerate some corpses to relieve anger. He was forced to put Toby in the "Time Out" room after medicating him.

In retrospect, he should have anticipated that Toby, with his past relationship with his father, would react strongly to abusive parental-figures.

However, they could not violate the Code by simply murdering the Aunt and Uncle and having the child vanish. It would cause too many questions. Questions which the departments of the Underrealm would not be pleased to answer.

However, he assured himself that they would get their just desserts in time.

As he descended the stairs, he smelled bacon and pancakes… don't ask how.

Coming to the kitchen, he found it empty save for his newest ward standing on a step-stool in front of the stove crackling dangerously with bubbling fat from the bacon. The kitchen was largely absent of the floury explosion from whenever one of his wards or associates cooks (save for Eyeless Jack) and any mess was comfortably compacted on the single counter.

" _Harry?_ " He asked. The small seven-year-old turned around nervously, fiddling with the spatula and tongs in his hands.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Slenderman. I haven't finished it yet."

" _Finished?_ "

"Breakfast, sir." He replied casually. Slenderman 'frowned' as he remembered that was one of the expectations of the Dursleys.

" _Harry, we appreciate the sentiment and I'm sure everyone will enjoy your cooking, but don't feel you are in any way required to cook meals in this house._ " Slenderman said.

"Oh, it's alright sir. I rather enjoy cooking." He replied happily.

Slenderman 'smiled'. " _Well, I'm sure Eyeless Jack will enjoy some company in his hobby. Though, for now I would recommend you not over-exert yourself or your arm._ "

Harry nodded and put the finished pancakes on a platter along with the bacon before placing them on the dining room table.

Slenderman had Harry sit next to him again and prepared some light fruit and juice along with a plain pancake to stay on Eyeless Jack's suggested regimen of low-fat foods, though he gave Harry one of the less fatty, least-oily bacons strips.

A few minutes later, Jeff walked in with his eyemask still askew on top of his head. Still half asleep, he stumbled around mumbling. "Whoss cookin' breakfast, Slendy?"

" _Harry did. Be sure to thank him_."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks kid." He said before picking up a pancake and dowsing it in syrup.

Sure enough, drawn to the promise of food, the others he'd met started down the stairs as well. Along with a few others Harry hadn't met last night.

Slendy introduced him to caretaker Akako Himura who apparently was visiting, but worked in a school out in Japan. The woman wore an interesting black dress made out of a shimmery material with some detailed embroidery of red swirls. The first things he noticed, though, was the fact that she seemed like she was always smiling, how her head was tilted to the side at an odd angle (along with a sharp bend in her neck), and how one of her eyes was completely gone but she still functioned like normal. "Konichiwa, Harry. Do you know any games?"

Harry was a bit unsettled, but replied with a "no".

She was genuinely surprised and promised to teach him a game her children absolutely loved called "Kagome kagome".

Another… being that came down for breakfast was this large humanoid…thing. It had a sekeletally thin black body with a scraggly mane of black fur around its head which was hidden behind what Harry assumed was some kind of bird-like mask out of sewn-together bits of flesh. Though he saw it stand up and walk to get through doorways, it tended to get around crouched on all fours. Slendy explained it was called the Seed Eater. Harry noticed how the Seed Eater would eye him almost like The Rake did last night. The being didn't go for the breakfast prepared and instead took out some raw meat from an ice box in the kitchen. He shivered as it ate the bloody hunk raw.

Sally was ecstatic when she came down and saw the pancakes and, after thanking Harry, immediately put some strawberries and powdered sugar on hers. Laughing Jack followed suit, except he used substantially more sugar, strawberries, blackberries, butterscotch, peppermint, caramel, and chocolate chips all drowned in a bottle of high fructose corn syrup.

Harry never had much of a sweet tooth, but he shuddered at the sight of the mountain of diabetes for any normal human being.

Eyeless Jack came up from his basement with Toby tagging along. Harry was confused as the still-drug-drowsy Toby mumbled and slurred about pancakes, waffles, and penguins. Slenderman was just relieved he was considerably calmer than last night.

During breakfast, Slenderman remembered something and turned to address Harry. " _Harry, I am a strong proponent of learning. As such, I encourage all of my wards to attain at least some degree of education. You are no exception._

" _I'll write up a syllabus and course plan for you by tomorrow. Among these are some… unusual courses such as anatomy, psychology, and… er, 'physical education' so to speak."_ Well, learning self defense and how to effectively stab someone counted as "physical" at least.

Harry nodded. He was okay with school if it meant he could stay away from the Dursleys. He'd actually enjoyed most of what he learned in primary school if he took out the mean teachers and Dudley's gang.

" _And Harry, I know you hold back to have lower marks than your grievously stupid cousin. You will not be punished for having good marks. In fact, I often reward for such marks, so I want you to do your best. Is that understood?"_

"Yes, sir."

" _Very well. Sally, if you want, you may play with Harry in the forest today. Just be back before sunset._ "

Sally "yay"ed happily and led Harry outside, leaving Sammy the Bear in her seat to "keep him clean" despite the stuffed animal being coated in a permanent layer of mud.

Slenderman watched them go out and started cleaning up breakfast plates as he noticed Eyeless Jack approach him.

"Slenderman, I need to speak with you."

* * *

Harry ran after Sally as she ran out the front door. She had found him a ratty (and bloody) jacket of hers that was a dark green color without any frills. He was grateful that she had the pretty much unisex jacket and wore it despite the crusted blood on it. It was a lot better than walking around in the autumn chill.

Harry glanced back and, in the light, saw the house was actually a very large three-story mansion with the walls made of some grey wood shingles and darker grey roof shingles. The wrap-around porch led to a gazebo structure in the back and a few turrets were set in the sides of the manor. He saw a few attic spaces and resolved to ask Sally sometime later to show him around up there if it was alright.

The area around the house seemed perpetually grey. Harry suspected it was from the occupants'… peculiarities encouraging the creepy atmosphere. The sky was white/gray with overcast which molded into a dense, white fog that enveloped the surrounding forest. Harry enjoyed the effect as the white made the tall, straight, black tree trunks stand out more even though he could only see 20 feet of the forest before the fog consumed it. He particularly enjoyed watching the tendrils of mist creep around the forest floor and glide along the dirt and sparse grass.

The ghostly girl led him along the main road that connected to normal civilization. She explained how it was where they got their deliveries and mail. Harry was amazed that they were actually not ten minutes away from a nearby town that was completely oblivious to the existence of the manor. Sally explained that it was mostly just a ghost story to the locals to the point where it was just a fun tourist trap idea.

"Though we do have these shields put up." She added thoughtfully. Harry tilted his head. "Shields?"

"Yeah, they're invisible shields that kill anything we don't want coming through, like a force field. It lets in the pizza delivery guys, though." She snickered. "Jeff and BEN would probably throw a fit if they had to walk all the way to the town for that stuff." Harry nodded, looking around and trying to see if he could find these shields. Sally bounded into the foggy woods and shouted back. "C'mon! There's a fairy ring of mushrooms I found!"

Harry ran after her as she showed him the secret places of the forest and enjoyed the make-believe and improvised games as their giggling echoed in the fog.

* * *

Michelle O'Connor was excited. She'd heard about the tiny town in the rural west of New York and she couldn't wait to get there. Her boyfriend, Josh, and her other friends, Kaitlin and Mike, who shared her fascination in the paranormal, joined her on the vacation.

They toured the town and enjoyed the small-town feel of the place. They found a few shops that had figurines and books on the mythos surrounding the town; the most prominent figures being The Slenderman and his Children.

They got a brochure from their inn. It was hosted by the locals and was largely just an excuse to give a cool atmosphere for the re-telling of the mythos. They specifically offered one tour at 9 AM, 7 PM, and 10 PM. The first two had the densest amount of the almost permanent fog that rolled in from the forest and the 10 PM was just a popular nighttime horror excursion.

Michelle and Co. decided they'd aim for all three. The first one to get a lay-out of the forest track in the day, the second to see it at the twilight hours, and the last to see it at night as any horror fan would clamor to see.

They boarded the haybales in the back of the truck and listened to the woman droning on about the story.

Slenderman or The Slender Man was apparently a local apparition that had roots all the way back in German folk lore. It was a tall, faceless being that would stalk its victims silently until it either killed them, made them disappear, or drove them crazy. She told stories about how it had gained popularity on the internet after photographers caught pictures of it at a few local playgrounds, thus sparking the internet legend that brought Michelle there.

The horror enthusiasts were interested about the story of Slenderman's Children. Folk lore said that Slenderman stole children and either spirited them away or ate them. It was believed that those who were not eaten became his followers, some even after death.

The tour ended and their tour guide let them out near a shop sponsored by the tour. They sold everything from sketches to prints to figurines of the tall being in a suit surrounded by children who were either obviously dead and had expressionless, white masks hiding their faces. Josh was interested in a few wooden figurines of a disfigured, skeletal dog-person the owner claimed was called "The Rake". They also sold prints of UFO's, the Dover Demon, and Bigfoot with small replicas and humorous depictions of each.

They quietly agreed that it was just a local junk shop selling the usual "Aliens Abducted Me" T-shirts and mugs, but still bought a few nick-knacks for momentos.

To the humor of her friends, she bought a small necklace with the circle and X symbol on it along with a few creepy prints of Slenderman, The Rake, a black creature called Seedeater, and a Roswell crash site depiction to put up in her apartment.

They stuck around the town and their inn room until the sun had set pretty low in the sky.

Michelle eagerly dragged her friends back to the haybale truck for the evening adventure.

"Hello and welcome to- oh, not you people again." The story-teller monotoned. Michelle was honestly surprised they let this person deal with their town's main supply of income.

She supposed she could understand going crazy after constantly doing this job and telling the same story three times a day every day of the year, but she could at least ask for some atmosphere and enthusiasm. The first tour was more of a dull museum lecture tour rather than a horror story.

She fiddled with her new necklace as she listened to the story re-told to a new group of tourists who were eagerly snapping a few pictures of the evening fog darkening the forest around them.

To be honest, this was hardly worth the $5 in the first place. The only spark of anything interesting was a faint giggle she swore she heard echoing from the mist.

* * *

"Whelp, that was an absolute f*cking waste of money." Mike griped as they walked back to their inn as the sun set. "I mean, did you see that hag? She was putting me to _sleep_ with that lecture voice of hers. I paid for a bone-chilling horror story that was supposed to give me nightmares tonight, not a kiddy-ride that's no better in the afternoon than it is in the morning."

"Yeesh, we get it, Mike. Just shut up about it." Kaitlin sighed. "So the tour was a bust, at least we got some pretty wicked snapshots of that fog and Michelle got some stuff too."

"Yeah, I mean, look at- oh no!" She exclaimed looking around frantically. The others saw her checking her pockets, jacket, even her bra (to the confusion of the men). "I lost my necklace!"

Josh sighed. "So we'll get you another one."

"Oh, come on. The thing was like $15, I'm not just gonna let it go. It's probably in the forest."

Kaitlin grinned. "Oooh, four teenagers going in a scary wood at night reportedly haunted by the _Slenderman_. Wooooo."

Mike wasn't as amused. "Yeah, I can see the headlines tomorrow. 'Four Stupid Tourists Get Lost in that Damn Fog'. It's just not worth it, Michelle."

Michelle 'hmph'ed and started stalking away towards the treeline. She was always pretty headstrong, though she knew how to get her friends along with. She grinned as she heard three other footsteps following after her accompanied by mild panting and whiney voices.

"Come on! It's a necklace in that entire place! It's worse than the needle in the haystack!"

"I don't care, Josh. We'll be alright." She called back, not looking at him.

Soon, they made it to the start of the forest path and retraced their steps back into the forest.

* * *

"We're lost."

"No we're not."

"We're lost."

"I'm telling you I know where we are!"

"We're lost."

"SHUT UP, MIKE! WE ARE NOT LOST!"

Michelle glared daggers into her friend's neutral face as he silently dared her to admit that she had no f*cking clue where they were.

The headstrong girl looked around, hoping to see anything that resembled the path. The fog had long-since cleared up, but the forest was dark save for the white glow of the moon.

She'd long given up trying to find the damned necklace. Now it was just a priority of getting out of the cold and back to their comfy inn room.

Didn't that tree looked familiar?

* * *

Kaitlin was crying quietly now. She always did have a strained positivity in stressful situations. Even when they were friends in kindergarten, she was the first to cry about being lost. Frankly, Michelle almost felt like joining in. The boys were trudging along, both downtrodden, but had given up any taunting remarks long ago.

Every tree looked the same. Michelle couldn't deny it any longer. The forest floor was even covered in a low-hanging dense fog, so they could have walked across a path ages ago.

As she looked around, it was almost surreal; the pale moon illuminated the entire forest and a dense, white fog flowed off mini-cliffs and around trees like water. None of the tendrils left the surface the sea of fog created, which was only knee deep in every direction. It was beautiful… if she wasn't so desperate to get out of it.

She sat them down at some stumps nearby and assessed the situation.

One. They were completely lost.

Two. It was dark.

Three. They had no idea where they were.

Four. No one else had any idea where they were.

Five. It was hypothermia weather, so they'd probably freeze to death before starvation.

Michelle hung her head in her hands before involuntarily giving a quick, choked sob at the hopelessness of the situation. They were really just going to be stuck he-

"Michelle…"

She was broken out of her misery by Mike's frantic whisper. She looked at him and followed his eyes out into the forest.

There, backlit by the moon were two figures hiding behind the trees and watching the group. Michelle could make out some rushed whispering echoing ethereally around them. The tone said one was trying to convince the other of something while the other kept arguing against, but the whispering became muddled into something unintelligible carried through the fog.

Slowly, the smaller figure separated from the taller figure which was frantically whispering for the other to come back.

Through the silhouettes she could make out that the smaller figure approaching them was probably a boy and the other had a dress, signifying a girl. She could see the tension in the small boy, as though ready to spring back at a moment's notice.

He made his way until he was just a foot away from her. She could make out extremely pale skin, black hair, and probably the greenest eyes she'd ever seen behind some askew glasses. Her breath caught as she realized the boy was wearing a jacket that was crusted with blood.

Hearing a scuffle, she looked up to see the girl had moved out from behind her position. She could clearly make out a dirty, pink nightgown dress. The girl's green eyes shone like a cat's eyes and had a wary distrust of them. Michelle was horrified to be able to make out lines of crimson across her face.

The boy's arm moved, redirecting her attention. He raised up a small fist extended towards her and she caught a glint from the moonlight.

Her necklace.

She accepted it and gave a hushed "thank you". The boy nodded and began backing away back to join with the girl. As the distance grew, Michelle suddenly noticed a shadow that was not present beforehand. She followed it up to a tree that had suddenly appeared-

No.

Her heartbeat was frantic as she realized the "tree" was really the legs and torso of a very, _very_ tall man in a suit.

Without a face.

Her blood pounded against her temple and a small migraine started up behind her right eye. The figure was completely silent, but still had a foreboding miasma around him. She saw the shadows behind him seemingly coalesce into black tentacles silently writhing behind him.

The green-eyed boy looked up at the figure and said something she couldn't make out. The figure's wriggling appendages seemed to slow as it tilted its head to angle back and forth between them and the boy as though deliberating something.

The tentacles retreated into its back and it stood there along with the other two children, watching them-

The group heard a loud rumbling sound getting louder from behind them and all of them were inclined to turn and see what was approaching. It was the haybale truck with a new tour group for the 10 PM tour.

Michelle looked back quickly, but the children and the tall man were both gone.

Turning back, she heard a different tour guide address them.

"Hey, are you folks alright? You need a ride back?"

They nodded dumbly and started climbing onto the back of the truck. Michelle clutched the small necklace in her hand and looked back in the direction they came from.

As they rumbled away, she glanced back on the path and saw the small boy standing at the edge watching her leave. He saw her looking and waved. She smiled slightly and waved back before the small figure scampered back into the woods.

She and her friends made it back to the inn and they left the next day. By the weekend, they were joking how they'd hallucinated the entire thing and that they needed to ease off of the chilli fries and pizza, citing that junk food caused some pretty weird nightmares, so why not hallucinations.

Michelle never contributed to those stories. She would just rub her thumb over the small pendant charm, proving that they got it back somehow, and having the eerie feeling that they were terrifyingly close to living up to Mike's predicted "missing teenagers" newspaper report as well as ending up another casualty to the town's folklore tales.

She eventually married (to Josh) and had several children and eventual grandchildren as well. Each and every one heard the same story from her, though. The same one she'd tell until her dying day. One against doing foolhardy things like wandering in the forest at night among other things.

The story of The Slenderman and his Children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original AN: People in this chapter are purely fiction. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is completely coincidental and unintentional.
> 
> -Crow
> 
> -Seedeater: "Through the Trees" by unknown  
> -Akako and the Kagome Kids: "Kagome Kagome" by unknown

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I'm trying a different angle on Creepypastas. They'll still be off-kilter sanity-wise, but there will be some variance of "niceness" and less trying-to-kill-Harry-at-first-meeting.
> 
> But fear not… there will be evil, there will be gore, and there will be the corruption of Harry Potter by the Pastas! Muahahahah!
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Sincerely,  
> -The Smiling Crow
> 
> ~0)_(0~
> 
> I thought Pasta fans would like this. Down here, I'll put the name of the characters and their creator (if I can find them) along with their respective Pasta title, if available.
> 
> -Slenderman: no official pasta: created by Victor Surge


End file.
